Neverland
by Stardust's Revenge
Summary: When Romeo comes down with a disease no one can identify, Racetrack works his hardest to get medicine for him.


**This was a suggestion from the wonderful theater104, hope y'all like it!**

Romeo got up when the commission bell started ringing, and almost immediately felt a ringing of his own. He had gotten what felt like the worse migraine in the history of the universe, but there were papers to be sold, and he was the man to sell them. _Teenager._ Whatever.

As he grabbed his bag and snapped on his suspenders, he saw Racetrack get up to join him.

''Hey, Romeo, he said, ''Any luck with the girls?''

''No, unfortunately, but I'll bet you I'll meet someone today!'' he said. _Oh god, I am going to die._

''Speaking of bets, lend me a nickel, will ya? Turns out Soursweet won the race yesterday, and I gotta pay up.''

Romeo fished the coin out of his trousers pocket and flipped it to Race. _I'm not sure I'll even live to see tomorrow._

Racetrack was talking to him, but Romeo couldn't hear a word of it, everything was fading away…

That was when he blacked out.

#############################################################################

He heard the soft, lilting voice of the blond, blue eyed girl of his dreams. '' _Oh, Romeo, how ever did this happen?''_

''Oh, it's nothing, m'lady,'' he replied, ''I've gotten worse than this walking across the street.''

'' _Oh, Romeo, you're so brave. So handsome, and a voice like a mermaid's song too.''_

She leaned in, closer, and closer…

##############################################################################

Just then, Romeo woke up and saw Crutchie turning to Jack, who was holding an empty vase, the cold water in it having been emptied on Romeo's face.

''Jack,'' Crutchie said very seriously, ''Get the mental doctor right now. Romeo's gone insane.''

Racetrack was standing by, looking concerned. ''Romeo? Are you okay?'' he asked softly. Romeo looked up at him. ''No, I honestly don't think that I am. Racetrack, it hurts so bad, I'm not even sure if I'll live to see the light of tomorrow.'' Just then, a bolt of white-hot pain shot through his ribs and he doubled over in pain. His hazel brown eyes began to well up, simply from the pain, and Racetrack cursed softly.

'' _Damn.''_

Right there, right then, he swore to himself that he would get Romeo medicine and cure him, no matter what the cost or struggles it took.

#############################################################################

The next day, Romeo woke up, but when he tried to get his paper bag, Racetrack stepped in front of him. ''Oh, there's no way you're selling today, Romeo. You're sick as a dog.''

''So...I just sit here staring at the ceiling?'' Romeo said. _Boy, that's exciting._ He knew Racetrack really meant the best, but there were papes to sell and hearts to win. How was he ever going to impress the ladies if he was sitting inside?

''Oh, c'mon, it's not that bad. I got one of the newsies to sit here and take care of you while I go get something for your fever.'' Racetrack said, pushing Romeo back onto his bunk.

''Oh, goody. One of the guys sitting here _watching_ me stare at the ceiling. Excitement plus.'' Romeo joked.

''Well, it ain't exactly a guy.'' Racetrack said. He stepped aside, revealing a girl about his age in tattered lavender skirts and a worn button-up blouse. She had blue eyes with gold rings around the rim of them, and almost black hair that fell past her shoulders. Now Romeo was definitely interested.

She waved to him as Racetrack walked out the door. Outside, Romeo could hear Race requesting eighty papers, obviously worried for Romeo's health and determined to try his very hardest to get medicine. Inside, he asked the girl, ''So...Do you have a name or anything?''

She giggled a little bit before responding, ''I'm Stars. At least, that's where they call me where I'm from. You?''

Romeo would have responded, along with some really cheesy pick-up line, but to tell the truth, his heart wasn't in it. Really, he was kind of scared. He never had this before, and none of the guys had it before. What if it was some deadly disease that he'd die from? He always knew his life of selling papers would end someday, but never thought it would be today. And Racetrack was trying so hard for him too…

#############################################################################

Outside, Racetrack requested eighty papers. He thought of Romeo, sick inside. Sure, Crutchie had gotten sick or injured fairly often, and a few guys had gotten diseases they'd contracted from the refuge. But this...this was different. The poor teen was struggling for life, and just the simplest things appeared to make him cringe and double over in pain. As he got his bundle, he walked quickly to his street corner and untied the twine around the stack. He picked up one of them, not bothering to read the headline and shouted a headline that seemed to work fairly well. ''Extra! Extra! Fire on Main Street! Millions charred and burned to ashes! Get it here, fresh off the press!''

By evening, he'd tried every trick he knew to unload papers- ''accidentally'' stumbling and tripping whenever a rich-looking person came by, acting as if he was sick himself, and of course, ''Improving the truth.'' However, though, he'd only managed to sell seventy-four out of his eighty.

He was starving, and cold, not to mention that his ankles were caked with all the dirt and grime he'd picked up walking everywhere in an attempt to sell his papers for Romeo. '' _Romeo...''_ just thinking about him made Racetrack worry.

Romeo's fate was in the cards-the poor kid would probably die if Race couldn't sell. No one knew how or where he'd managed to get it, but it was clear he'd drawn a dead man's hand. Not to mention that no one had the slightest idea what it was-it was a downcard from here on. So, gritting his teeth, Race pulled his jacket tighter around him and picked up the remainder of the papers.

##############################################################################

Back inside, Romeo saw drops of rain dotting the window as thunder crashed outside. Stars pressed a cold washcloth against his forehead. She saw clearly that he was terrified of not knowing the outcome. ''Stars?'' he asked quietly, like he might when he was a little kid, ''Do you think I'll be okay?''

Stars smiled at him. ''I know you're scared, Romeo. But you don't have to be.''

With that, she began singing in that enchanting voice of hers, one that captivated Romeo to listen.

'' _Whenever I was frightened_

 _Or if I ever felt alone_

 _I turned to the night sky_

 _and a star I called my own_

 _Somewhere I can run to_

 _Just across the Milky Way_

 _If you like, I can take you,_

 _It's just a light year and a day._

 _We can sail away tonight_

 _On a sea of pure moonlight_

 _We can navigate the stars to bring us back home_

 _In a place so far away_

 _We'll be young, that's how we'll stay_

 _Every wish is a command_

 _when we find ourselves in never,_

 _Neverland._

##############################################################################

Racetrack trudged through the rain, gazing at the night sky. He had about forty-five cents on him, about five cents short. He hugged the two papers he had left to his chest, sheltering them from the rain. His black hair was matted to his forehead, and the knees of his trousers were muddy from kneeling down to pick up all the things people had dropped. Finally, a man walked past quickly, holding an umbrella over his head. He saw Racetrack, and wordlessly flipped a nickel at him and walked away. Racetrack pocketed the nickel and thanked his lucky stars that Romeo would finally be okay.

##############################################################################

Stars sang her fantasies as she painted a picture in Romeo's head of the place she hoped to someday call home.

 _Through all my make-belief,_

 _There's some reality_

 _In your reflection_

 _There's much more than you see._

 _All that you hope for,_

 _you hope for today_

 _and the love someone gives you_

 _in an unconditional way_

 _We can sail away tonight_

 _On a sea of pure moonlight_

 _We can navigate the stars to bring us back home_

 _In a place so far away_

 _We'll be young, that's how we'll stay_

 _When we find ourselves in Never_

 _Neverland_

 _Picture a land_

 _You never have seen_

 _Where life is eternal and evergreen_

 _Future of happiness all in your hands_

 _All in this place I call Neverland_

 _We can sail away tonight_

 _On a sea of pure moonlight_

 _We can navigate the stars to bring us back home_

 _In a place so far away_

 _We'll be young, that's how we'll stay_

 _When we find ourselves in never_

 _Neverland_

 _And with your_

 _hand in my hand_

 _I am closer now to finding Neverland_

 _And with your hand in my hand,_

 _I am closer now to finding_

 _Neverland,_

 _Neverland,_

 _Neverland._

##############################################################################

Racetrack opened the door of the lodging house, a doctor following him. Stars looked back from the window and joked, ''Wow, Race. Who's the doctor for, him or you?''

Racetrack smiled before responding, ''Aw, Stars, I'll be fine. He didn't die or anything while I was gone, did he?''

Stars gestured to Romeo, who waved to Race. It hadn't been easy to deal with the pain while Race was outside selling, but Stars had at least been good company. The doctor walked over to him and uncorked a bottle with sea-green glass. He set it down on the table next to Romeo and said, ''Drink this and you should be fine in two to six days.''

Romeo took a sip and almost immediately wanted to spit it out. It tasted like...like… _I don't know, something that tastes like seven layers of nasty._ But he managed to get it down, and after quickly swallowing the rest of the bottle, wiped the froth off his mouth and exclaimed, ''Oh, god, that's terrible.''

Stars laughed softly before getting her bag. ''Bye, Romeo!'' she said, giving him one last sad smile. With that parting, she left the lodging house and started back to Queens.

##############################################################################

Just as the doctor had said, Romeo did get better in about four days. That morning, he grabbed his shirt and began to button it up when he noticed a torn piece of notepad paper in his pocket. Written in curly, careful handwriting, it said

 _And with your hand in my hand, I am closer now to finding_

 _Neverland_

 **I feel like you all should get a reward for reading that! Anyway, thanks to theater104 for suggesting the Race and Romeo sick fic, I really enjoyed that. If you liked, please R &R!**


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